Fish-cleaning machine.



PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

(I. KELLINGTON.

FISH CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1904.

4SHEETS-SHEET 1.

witnesses No. 788.887. PATENTED MAY 2, 1905. J. KELLINGTON.

FISH CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24,1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l'llllllllll lll PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

J. KELLINGTON.

FISH CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24,1904.

4 SHEBTSBHIBET 3.

Inventor Mai/r7 attorney PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

J. KELLINGTON.

FISH CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 24.1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

QIIOIREQ I 'Umttnessea WWW Iti'o. 788,837.

UNITED STATES Patented May 2, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN KELLING-TON, OF NEW VVESTMINSTE'R, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TODANIEL J. MUN N AND ALEXANDER EWEN, OF NE WESTMINSTER, CANADA.

FISH-CLEANING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,837, dated May 2,1905. li i fil d August 24, 1904. Serial No. 221,999.

To all, whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN KELLINeToN, a citizen of the Dominion ofCanada, residing at New Westminster, in the Province of BritishColumbia, Canada, have invented new and useful Improvements inFish-Cleaning Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in fish-cleaning machines,and applies particularly to the machine invented by me on which anapplication was filed on the 28th day of March, 1903, under Serial No.150,060, which application was patented on the 8th day of November,1904, and bears the number 77 4, 67 4:.

The improvements herein referred to are directed to the means forscraping the visceral cavity, for removing the skin lining of thecavity, and also an improved mechanism for removing the tail. The meansby which these operations are performed are fully set forth in thefollowing specification, reference being made to the drawings whichaocom pany it.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the scraping and skin-removingmechanism; Fig. 2, a crosssection of the same on the line A A in Fig. 1;Fig. 3, a sectional elevation on the line B B in Fig. 1; Fig. 4, across-section on the line C C in Fig. 1.. Fig. 4 is a detail view of thecounterweight device 22 hereinafter referred to; Figs. 5 and 6, side andend elevations of the tail-cutting device; Fig. 7, a plan of the same,showing also top and lateral brushes; and Fig. 8, a general elevation ofthe machine.

The frame 2, the general mechanism, and the means for operating themachine are the same as that revealed in my previous applica* tion abovereferred to; but instead of the reciprocating scraper thereprovidedrover which the fish was drawn after the splitting and guttingoperations had been performed 1 provide a hollow saddle member 3,secured to the side frames 2 of the machine and adapted to spread thesides of the split fish as it passes over it. Slightly recessed into thesides of this saddle area series of scraping-disks 4, having a slightoutward convexity and provided with ridges 5, which willscrape theintestinal cavity. The disks are mounted on spherical enlargements 6 onshort shafts 7, which may be rotated by suitable mechanism, and a smallpin 8 through the capped bearing 9 engages in a meridian groove 10 inthe spherical enlargement, by which engagement the disk is rotated,while allowed to maintain the slope of the sides of the saddle, to whichslope it is kept by the small rollers 11, mounted on a light frame 12along the under side of the saddle member 3.

In one or more recesses in the upper side of the saddle member 3 areinserted scrapers 13, formed of thin flat spring and havingupwardly-turned ends designed to scrape the blood-vein which runsalongside the backbone within the visceral cavity.

Above the saddle member 3 and its scrapers a series of rollers 15,shaped to conform approximately to the cross-section of the fishbody,are mounted on' short shafts which are connected to the shafts 14:, andthe rollers 15 are lifted in advance of an approaching fish by thepassage under them of the tail-grip member 16, by which the fish isdrawn through the machine. Extending along each side of the saddlemember 3 is an elongated plate 17 shaped to conform to the outer sidesof the fish and secured at its lower edge to pins 18, so as to beslidable backward in its supports against the resistance of the springs19 and to yield to variations in the form of a fish passing through andpress the flaps of the split lish against the scraping-disks. Afterpassing the scraping-disks a pair of brushes 20 are fixed on pivotallevers or arms 22, so that they may be lifted by a tail-grip member 16as it passes under the lever 23, secured to the same shaft, and will belowered upon the body of a fish as it moves under. The brushes 20, whichare fixed on pivotal levers or arms 22, have adjustable counterweights22 similar to those of the roller 15, before mentioned. (See Fig. 1Supplementary side brushes 21 are placed on the side frames at about thesame position and are secured to guide-stems 24, which are slidable inbrackets 32, inclined at an angle, as drawn, (see Fig. 7,) and furnishedwith a coil-spring, so that the brushes may yield to the passage of afish.

Vertically slidable endwise over the after part of the saddle member 3in guides 25, secured to the standards 26, which carry the return-chainsprocket 27, is a flat stem 28, having at its lower end a forked member29, the inner square edges of which when at the lower position fit intoa recess 30 in the upper sides of the saddle member 3, and this forkmember is raised on the approach of andlowered onto the body of a fishpassing over the saddle by a curved lever 31, which passes through aslot in the stem 28 of the fork. This lever 31 is mounted on a shortshaft similar to those which carry the rollers 15, before referred to,and is operated in a similar manner by the passage of a tail-grip, whichengages a bent lever 33, secured to the same shaft. Pivotally mountedtoward the upper end of the guide-frame 25 of the fork-stem 28 arelevers 35 and 36, set at different angles on one shaft. Each of theselevers carry weights 37 and 38, one of which, 37, bears on the end ofthe fork-stem through the medium of a small roller 39 and is so placedthat when the stem 28 is at the lowest part of its movement the twoweights hold it down with the fork in the recess of the saddle. Thelever 36 is so set on its shaft in relation to the lever 35 that itsweight 38 will be exerted to pull the firstnamed lever from the verticalposition. The weights are lifted and prevented from exerting theireffort on the stem 28 by the following means:. Secured to the weight 38is an eyepiece 40, through which a light stem 41 passes, having a collar46 secured to it below the eye, and the upper end of this stem 41 isloosely supported by an elongated eye on the shaft 42, which carries thereturn chain sprocket 27. The length of the stem 41 is such that it willallow the levers to fall and the weights to exercise their combinedefiort to hold the stem down, and the stem is lifted by a cam projection44, secured to the edge of a disk 43, fixed on the shaft 42, whichprojection engages a roller 45, laterally projecting toward it from thestem 41, so that as the shaft 42 is rotated by the movement of thetail-grip chain 34 returning over the sprocket 27 the cam projection 44will engage the roller 45 and by means of the stem 41 will lift theweights clear of the fork-stem 28.

The operation of this mechanism is as follows: As a tail-grip 16approaches the fork the upper side of the grip will engage the bentlever 33, and by means of the curved lever 31, secured on the same pivotand which passes through the slot of the stem 28, the fork will belifted clear of the body of a fish the tail of which is in the grip, andimmediately thereafter, the cam projections having moved clear of theroller, the stem will be lowered, by means of the upwardly-bent portionof the lever 33, onto the body of the fish; but as the weight of 38 and37 is not exerted directly over the end of the stem 28 the pressure ofthe fork on the fish will be light. As, however, the fish moves forwardand the square shoulder of it from which the head has been removedpasses under the fork the fork will drop, and the combined efforts ofboth weights 37 and 38 will be exerted to hold it tightly in the recess30 of the saddle member 3, and the lining skin of the visceral cavity,which usually trails behind the fish during the cleaning operation andis otherwise difficult to remove, will be held while the fish movesforward and will be torn away from its attachment to the body of thefish. During the several operations of gutting, scraping, and brushingwater is liberally sprayed on the device to assist in cleansing and toprevent the brushes or other parts being clogged or hindered by theremoved parts. This water service is not only delivered externally bythe pipes 47, but is also delivered to the cavity of the fish throughthe perforated pipe 48, which discharges through apertures 49 in thesaddle member 3. The cleansing and scrubbing operations having beenperformed, the tail of the fish is cut by a circular knife 50, pivotallymounted on a spindle 51 in a frame 52 so as to be susceptible ofapproximately vertical movement over the path of the fish. The knife isoperated by a chain 53 over a shaft 54 on the axis in which the frame ismounted, which shaft also drives the head-cutting mechanism. The lowestposition of the knife is the one which it normally occupies and in whichit may rest against a cushioned stop 55. Secured to the outer end of theradial frame 52 and in the path of the tail-grip member 16 is aninclined bar 56, which as the tailgrip advances raises thepivotally-mounted frame 52, so that the knife 50 is well clear of thetail-grip and its chain 34, and as the tailgrip 16 reaches the lower endof this inclined bar 56 the bar and frame drop and the fish is severedfrom its attachment to the tail-grip 16 and falls into a chute beneath,while the tail-grip is released and the tail itself removed from thegrip by a suitable mechanism, such as that described in the previousapplication referred to.

Having now particularly described the nature of my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent,

1. In a fish-cleaning machine, the combina tion with head-cutting,belly-splitting and viscera-removing devices, of means for scraping theinterior of the fish, said means comprising a series of ridged disks,shafts located across the direction of movement of the fish, saidshaft's each having a pair of spherical bearings, said disks beingmounted in pairs on said spherical bearings of the shaft and arranged tobe angled outward toward the lower edges,

and means for pressing the fish against the scraping devices.

2. In a fish-cleaning machine, the combination with head-cuttingdevices, a splittingknife, and visceraremoving devices, of means forscrubbing the visceral cavity, said scrubbing means comprising a saddlemember over which the fish are drawn, said saddle member being providedwith recesses on its outer sides, scraping-disks rotatable in therecesses of the saddle member, means for rotating said scraping-disks,means for scrubbing the exterior of the fish, and means for severing thefish from its tail.

3. In a fish-cleaning machine, the combination with head-cutting,belly-splitting and viscera-removing devices, of means for scraping thevisceral cavity, said scraping means comprising a saddle member, saidsaddle member being provided with recesses on its outer sides, ridgeddisks rotatable in said saddle-recesses, spring-operated side plates forpressing the sides of the split fish against the rotatablescraping-disks, rollers for holding the fish down on the scrapingdevices, means for scrubbing and cleaning the exterior of the fish, andmeans for cutting the fish from its tail.

4. In a fish-cleaning machine, the combination with head-cutting,belly-splitting, viscera-removing and tail-cutting devices, of anendless chain for drawing the fish over said head-cutting,belly-splitting, viscera-removing and tail-cutting devices, means forscrubbing the visceral cavity, said means comprising a fish-su pportingmember having recesses in its sides, a series of rotatable disks havingridges or ribs on the outer surface, said disks operatable in therecesses of the supporting member, shafts for said disks, said shaftsincluding spherical bearings for said disks, said spherical bearingseach having a meridian groove, a pin carried by each of said disks for 1entering said meridian grooves, rollers against which the lower edge ofthe disks may rotate, bearing members for said rollers, said rollersserving to constrain the disks to maintain the slope of thefish-supporting member, lateral plates, bearings for said plates, saidplates being movable outward, a spring for moving said plates inward topress the flaps of the split fish against the scraping-disks, and meansfor maintaining a downward pressure on the fish over the scrubbingdevices.

5. In a fish-cleaning machine, incombination with head-cutting,belly-splitting,visceraremoving devices, a saddle for supporting thefish, of means for scrubbing the visceral cavity and scrubbing theexterior of the fish, means for severing any portion of the viscerawhich may trail behind the fish, said means comprising a stem verticallyslidable over the saddle which supports the fish during the scraping andscrubbing operations, a bearing for said stem, said stem having a forkedlower end, said supporting-saddle having recesses to receive said forkedlower end, a tail-grip by which the fish is drawn through the machine,means for lifting said stem clear of the tailgrip, means for loweringthe forked stem and for pressing it lightly on the body of a passingfish, means for increasing the downward pressure on the stem when theforked end drops over the shoulder end of a fish as it passes, and meansfor severing the fish from its tail in the grip.

6. In a fish-cleaning machine, a fish-supporting member extendinglengthwise in the line of movement, said fish-supporting member havingits upper sides downwardly angled apart and outwardly convexed incrosssection, said fish-supporting member including a recessed ridge,spring-scrapers each secured at one end in said ridge-recesses of thesupporting member and having an upwardlyturned and rounded scraping edgeat the free end, and means for moving a fish lengthwise over thesupporting member and means for pressing the fish downwardly upon thescraping devices.

7. In a fish-cleaning machine, the combination with a fish-supportingmember of the character described, said supporting member having ashallow rectangular groove extending vertically over the top and downeach side of the supporting member toward the forward end thereof forholding any portion of the viscera which may trail behind a passingfish, a stem having a forked lower end, the inner side of the forkadapted to [it into the supporting-member groove, guides attached to theframeworkof the machine, said stem being vertically slidable in saidguides, a tail-gripping and fish-moving means for drawing the fishthrough the machine, means cooperating with said tail-gripping andmoving means for lifting the forked end of the stem clear of suchtail-grip, means :for lowering said forked end immediately after thepassage of the grip, to rest on the body of the passing fish thereunder,means for increasing the downward pressure on the stem when the forkedlower end drops over the shoulder end of a fish as it passes,substantially as shown and described.

8. In a fish-cleaning machine, means for severing any portion of theviscera which may trail behind the fish, said means comprising thecombination with a fish-su )porting member of the character described,and means for drawing the fish over said supporting memher, saidfish-drawing means including a grip, Said supporting member having arectangular groove extending vertically down each side thereof, of astem vertically movable over the fish, guides attached to the frame ofthe machine in which said stem is slidable, said stem having a forkedlower end shaped to fit into the grooves in the fish-supporting member,

IIO

IIS

means for lifting the stem clear of said grip, said lifting meanscomprising a curved lever, a short shaft to which said lever is secured,bearings on the frame of the machine for said short shaft, 'said leverhaving its under side projectingdownward into the pathof the said grip,a second lever secured to the same shaft, said vertically movable stemhaving a slot through which said second lever passes, means for pressingthe vertical stem downward,'said means comprising "a shaft mounted inbearings on the frame of the machine, a short arm secured to said shaftand a'weight adjustably secured to said short'arm.

9. In a fish-cleaning machine, the combina-' tion with head-cutting,belly-splitting'and viscera-removing devices, and means for scrubbingand cleaning the exterior and interior of the fish, and meansforconveying said fish through said head-cutting, bell y-splitting,viscera-removing devices and saidscrubbing and cleaning means, saidconveying means including a tail-grip, of a tail-cutting device, saidtail-cutting device comprising a driveshaft, bearings for saiddrive-shaft, a swinging frame mounted on said drive-shaft, a revolubleknife mounted in said swinging frame, an inclined bar secured to thefree end of the knife carrying frame for engagement by the tail-grip toraise the knife on the approach of the grip and permit it to drop assoon as the grip passes to sever the fish from its tail, substantiallyas shown and described.

10. In a fish-cleaning machine, in combination with a supporting memberand means for conveying the fish through the machine, said conveyingmeans including -a tail grip, of means for severing the fish from itstail, said means comprising a circular knife, a short shaft mountedparallel to the line of motion of the fish, said circular knife mountedon said short shaft and projecting in the path of movement of the fish,a drive-shaft mounted on the frame of the machine, a pivotally-supportedframe mounted on the drive-shaft, said shaft upon which the circularknife is mounted being revolubly mounted in the free end of thepivotally-supported frame, said knife-shaft and said (1 rive-Shaftbeingcooperatively connected, abar secured to the free end of thepivotallysupported frame and extending backward toward the direction ofapproach of the fish, said bar having its lower end projecting in thepath of the tail-grip and angled upward toward the line of approach tobe engaged by the tailgrip to lift the pivotally-supported frame clearof the grip and permit the knife to fall when the grip has passed theknife, all being arranged substantially as shown and described.

11. In a fish-cleaning machine,the combination with head-cutting,belly-splitting and viscera-removing'devices, and means for scrubbingthe exterior and interior of the fish, and means for drawing the fishthrough the machine, of devices for scraping the visceral cavity, saiddevices comprising a supporting-saddle 3 having apertures 49 in itsupper portion, a water-service pipe 38 mounted within the saddle todischarge through the apertures 49, resilient scrapers 13 mounted on thesaddle 3, a series of ridgeddisks 4, shafts 7 mounted on bearings on theframe of the machine, spherical bearings 6 on said shaft 7 ,saidspherical bearings having meridian grooves 10,pins Scarried by theridged disks andpassing'into the meridian grooves to cooperativelyconnect said disks with said shaft, aframe 12 secured below said disks4, rollers 11 mounted on said frame 12, bearings secured to the frame-ofthe machine, stems 18 slidable in said bearings, side plates 17 securedto said stems 18, resistance-springs 19 mounted'on said stems 18, meansfor rotatingthe shafts 7, and means for pressing thefishdownwardly onthe supporting-saddle as it'passes thereover substantially as shown anddescribed.

12. In a fish-cleaning machine, the combination withhead-removingdevices, belly-splitting devices, visceraremoving devicesand means for scrubbing the exterior and interior of the fish, of meansfor conveying said fish through the machine, means for retaining any.trailing portion of the viscera, said means comprising asupporting-saddle, a verticallymounted stem 28 having a forked lower end29 mounted over said supporting-saddle, guides mounted on the frame ofthe machine to receive said stem 28, a lever 33 mounted above saidsupporting-saddle and projecting into the path of the fish-conveyingmeans, said fishconveying means including a tail-grip for engaging saidlever 33 to lift the same, a lever 31 passing through the stem 28 andcooperati've'ly connected with the lever 33, a lever 35 mounted abovethe stem 28, aweight 37 carried bysaid lever 35, a roller 39 carried bysaid weight 37 for engaging the top face of the stem 28, a shaft mountedon the frame of the machine on which the lever 35 is mounted, a lever 36secured to the same shaft'as the lever 35, an auxiliary weight 38carried by the lever 36, an eye 40 secured to the weight 38,

a carrying-shaft 42 mounted in bearings on the frame of the machine, astem 41 loosely mounted on the carrying-shaft 42, a collar 46 on thestem 41 for engaging the eye 40, a disk 43 havinga cam 44 fixedlysecured to the shaft 42, a roller 45 carried by the stem 41 for engagingwith the cam portion 44 of the disk 43, means for rotating said shaft 42all being ar ranged substantially as shown and described.

13. In a fish-cleaning machine, the combination with head-cuttingdevices, belly-split-' ting devices, viscera-removing devices, means forscraping the exterior and interior of the fish,-and meansfor conveyingthe fish through said head-cutting, belly-splitting, viscera-removingdevices and said scrubbing means, said conveying means including atail-grip, of

means for removing the fish from the tail, said I last-named meanscomprising a knife 50, a spindle 51 upon which said knife is mounted, ashaft 54 mounted in bearings on the machine-frame, a frame 52 pivotallymounted on the shaft 54:, a spindle 51 rotatably mounted in the free endof the frame 52, sprockets on the shafts 54:, and the spindle 51, achain passing over said sprockets, an inclined bar 56 secured to thefree end of the frame 52, and projecting into the path of thefish-conveying means for engagement by the tail-grip to lift the freeend of the frame and knife 50 clear of the tail-grip and allow it todrop as the tailgrip passes to sever the body of the fish from its tailin the grip substantially as shown and described.

14. The combination with a conveying means including a tail-grip, ofmeans for severing the fish from the tail in the grip, said meanscomprising a revoluble knife supported in the path of the fishsmovement, in a vertical plane transverse to the path of movement of thefish on an axis parallel therewith and adjacent thereto, means forrotating said knife and meansfor lifting it clear of the tail-grip asthe grip approaches and dropping it when the grip is passed.

15. In a fish-cleaning machine, means for scrubbing the upper side ofthe fish, said means comprising a cross-shaft rockable in bearings inthe fixed frame of the machine, an arm mounted on said shaft, brushessecured to the free end of said arm, a second arm secured to saidcross-shaft, weights adj ustably mounted on said second arm to move thebrushes downward toward the path of a fish, means for conveying a fishthrough the machine, said means including a tail-grip, a lever securedto said cross-shaft and bent outwardly to project into the path of thetailgrip to be engaged thereby to lift the brushes clear of the grip andlower it onto the body of the fish after the grip has passed, and

means for supporting the fish, all being arranged substantially as shownand described.

16. In a fish-cleaning machine, means for scrubbing the sides of a fish,said means comprising brushes projecting loosely into the path of afish, said brushes including spindles mounted in bearings on the frameof the machine and slidable outward toward each side at an acute angleto the path of movement of the fish, a resilient spring carried by eachspindle for cooperating with said brushes to move the same inwardly,said brushes being mounted to move ina horizontal line inclined forwardfrom the middle line of the fishs movement through the machine, meansfor supporting the fish and means for moving it through the brushes.

17. In a fish-cleaning machine, means for scrubbing the visceral cavity,said means comprising an elongated supporting member extending in thedirection of movement of a fish, the upper sides of said member being incross-section convexedly curved downwardly and outwardly from the ridge,said supporting member having circular recesses in the opposite outersides thereof, scraping-disks rotatable in said recesses, means forrotating the scraping-disks, means for moving a fish over the supportingmember, and means for scrubbing the exterior of the fish and pressing itupon the supporting member and rotatable disks substantially as shownand described.

18. In a fish-cleaning machine, means for scrubbing the visceral cavity,said means comprising a fish-supporting member secured to theframe ofthe machine and extending lengthwise in the direction of movement of afish, said supporting member in cross-section having its upper sidesconvexed to conform to the shape of the inside of the split fish, saidsupporting member having circular recesses, ridged disks supported torotate in said recesses, side plates extending lengthwise along thesides of the supporting member, said side plates being supported on thesaid frame of the machine to slide outwardly from the middle line of themachine, a resistance-spring for pressing said plates inwardly, rollersyieldingly supported on the frame of the machine over the supportingmember for holding the fish downward on the supporting member, means forscrubbing and cleaning the exterior of a fish and means for moving afish through the machine.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN KELLINGTON.

